I *almost* turned this off 2 minutes in. I'm glad I didn't because I ended up liking this.

If you've heard of this movie you've probably heard that it's beautifully etc etc. It is, but keep your expectations in check. It is pretty, and there are a few exceptional shots(one scene in particular, wow. that scene probably is responsible for most of my praise), but there isn't too much on display. The style is really cool, and surprisingly enough it seems heavily influenced by Wai Wong's In the Mood for Love. I'm in the minority, but I found Heartbeats much more interesting (blasphemous statement right there) and definitely more accessible.

The film is about Francis and Marie, two friends who…

This movie is gorgeous. It's the 2nd movie by Xavier Dolan, the first one being "J'ai tué ma mèr" ("I Killed My Mother"). He is only 23 and already he has written and directed two movies (that have been international hits) and has a 3rd one on the way. He has previously starred in a few movies and he does in this one too.
The movie itself is about 2 best friends Marie (Chokri) and Francis (Dolan) who fall in love with the same person, Nicolas (Schneider). Nicolas is charming in a way and very attractive but also you get the sense that he thinks he's better than the others. I'm pretty sure he understood that both of his friends…

It’s a tough ask to direct, write, edit, costume, art design and star in your own film then make it into a watchable story that doesn’t run on ego that stretches and waters down ability across job roles. To do it at the age of 22 is rare feat and Xavier Dolan manages to do just that.

Heartbeats is about two quite lonely and obsessed people that create a menage-a-trois that never quite becomes what they desire it to be. Marie (Monia Chokri) and her gay friend Francis (Dolan) are both become besotted with Nicolas (Niels Schneider) their ‘Adonis’ they spot at a dinner party. Nic is all blonde curls, chiselled jaw and laid back, who is unaware of the…

Infatuations, we've all been there. When you meet someone for the first time, yet you feel drawn to them, you can't explain why, they've done nothing to lead you on, and yet, somehow, you feel like you have a special bond. That is what this film focusses on, except here the object of this infatuation (Niels Schneider) has both Xavier Dolan's Francis and Monia Chokri's Maria fawning after him.

Stylistically the film jarred for me at first, in no way the fault of the film, rather that I simply wasn't prepared for it. Yet as the film progressed I found myself more at ease around the characters and the tone of the film fit really nicely into the story as…

I *almost* turned this off 2 minutes in. I'm glad I didn't because I ended up liking this.

If you've heard of this movie you've probably heard that it's beautifully etc etc. It is, but keep your expectations in check. It is pretty, and there are a few exceptional shots(one scene in particular, wow. that scene probably is responsible for most of my praise), but there isn't too much on display. The style is really cool, and surprisingly enough it seems heavily influenced by Wai Wong's In the Mood for Love. I'm in the minority, but I found Heartbeats much more interesting (blasphemous statement right there) and definitely more accessible.

The film is about Francis and Marie, two friends who…

It’s a tough ask to direct, write, edit, costume, art design and star in your own film then make it into a watchable story that doesn’t run on ego that stretches and waters down ability across job roles. To do it at the age of 22 is rare feat and Xavier Dolan manages to do just that.

Heartbeats is about two quite lonely and obsessed people that create a menage-a-trois that never quite becomes what they desire it to be. Marie (Monia Chokri) and her gay friend Francis (Dolan) are both become besotted with Nicolas (Niels Schneider) their ‘Adonis’ they spot at a dinner party. Nic is all blonde curls, chiselled jaw and laid back, who is unaware of the…

Infatuations, we've all been there. When you meet someone for the first time, yet you feel drawn to them, you can't explain why, they've done nothing to lead you on, and yet, somehow, you feel like you have a special bond. That is what this film focusses on, except here the object of this infatuation (Niels Schneider) has both Xavier Dolan's Francis and Monia Chokri's Maria fawning after him.

Stylistically the film jarred for me at first, in no way the fault of the film, rather that I simply wasn't prepared for it. Yet as the film progressed I found myself more at ease around the characters and the tone of the film fit really nicely into the story as…

There’s something about Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan I liked very much. The man uses slow motion all the time. Just kidding of course. Yes, there is that hand-held camera which is recurrent in indie movies, but this guy grants some kind of different personality to this feature, it’s enjoyable, for instance during the inserts of “interviews”. The characters are speaking and the slightest zoom in/out enhances the rhythm of the story being told. And then, of course, when used to show the main love triangle story, it’s never groundless, he demonstrates a creative use for it, showing the three characters chatting or developing the geography of the scenes. It’s smart! The exact opposite of David O. Russel cinematography on Silver…